Anderson's return to game action on hold

Windmill Development Group chose Earth Day to submit rezoning applications to the cities of Ottawa and Gatineau for the former Domtar lands, a step toward developing what the company is calling the “world’s most sustainable community” on the post-industrial waterfront property.

At this point, it appears the Ottawa Senators’ No. 1 goaltender, Craig Anderson, will still be on the sidelines Saturday in the latest chapter of the Battle of Ontario against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Anderson took part in the morning skate before Thursday’s game against the New York Rangers, but when Paul MacLean was asked if Saturday might be too soon for his return to game action, the coach said, “as far as I’m concerned, it is.”
MacLean says the Senators will take no chances in pushing Anderson too hard.
“We want to make sure he’s 100 per cent and as ready as he can be before we put him in the net for a game,” he said. “He has to show us in practice that the timing and his game is back to where it needs to be and then we’ll have a conversation.”
On Thursday, Anderson wasn’t ready to commit to any timetable.
“Whether you’re capable of playing or available to play are two different things,” he said. “One is, can I stand in the there and play? Yeah. But would I be effective? The answer is probably no. I need to get in there and have a handful of practices … only then, when I don’t have any issues in practice, would I be able to be effective.”
For all that, Anderson did leave the door open, ever so slightly, to the possibility of making his return against the blue and white.
“I don’t make the rules here,” he said. “At the end of the day, if I come in (Friday) and I feel great and I stop everything in practice and (MacLean) and I sit down and I tell him I’m good to go, then it’s his decision whether he wants to play me or not.
“Right now, I’ve got to earn my ice time. By me going out there and playing half a practice doesn’t equate to me earning my ice time. The ball is in my court to make sure I’m 100 per cent to make sure I can do my job effectively. After that, it’s up to the coaching staff to decide.”
LIKE IGGY, LIKE ALFIE
If anyone understands what Jarome Iginla has been going through, it’s Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson. Alfredsson and Iginla have been the poster boys for their Canadian-based franchises for a decade and a half, have led their teams to the Stanley Cup final and both have a shot at being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
“It is (similar), for sure,” said Alfredsson, addressing Iginla’s trade to the Pittsburgh Penguins. “It’s a great opportunity for him, I believe, but I’m pretty sure if he could have it his way, the Calgary Flames would be on the top of the West.
“There have been some tough years there in Calgary, as we have been going through for us here. We’ve been able to turn it around and become a playoff team. It’s a tough situation when you’ve been with a team that long and I’m sure he feels the same way. But when you think about it another way, at the latter stages of his career, it’s a great opportunity for him to come to a really good team where he has a chance to go after the Stanley Cup.”
IT’S ALL SWEDISH TO HIM
Excuse Guillaume Latendresse if he’s in the middle of a few misunderstandings as part of the Three’s Company Line. (Latendresse, No. 73, has played the past three games with Swedish rookies Mika Zibanejad, No. 93, and Jakob Silfverberg, No. 33). “I got mad (during Monday’s 3-2 win over New Jersey) because I came back to the bench after a shift and I was sitting in the middle of those two guys and they were speaking Swedish,” Latendresse said. “That was pretty weird.”
While Latendresse says there have been some necessary adjustments after moving from a trio with Kyle Turris and Alfredsson, he says his message to his new Swedish linemates is the same.
“They have good speed and it’s like I told them, I want them to have the puck, I want them to create,” Latendresse said. “I want them to do their thing. I prefer them to have the puck when we skate down the ice. Until the blue-line, don’t give it to me.”
kwarren@ottawacitizen.com
Twitter.com/Citizenkwarren

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.